Molly Ringwald

“If somebody doesn’t believe in me, I can’t believe in them…”

Samantha. Claire. Andie.

Three of the most iconic characters of the 80s, and they all have one person in common. Molly Ringwald.

Our beloved little redhead was it in our favorite decade. She almost single-handedly turned a trio of John Hughes-penned films into iconic movies that will endure for-freaking-ever, and she even scored her own Time magazine cover when she was just 18. Even today, it’s hard to find any list of the top teen actors (ever!) without her name somewhere near or (rightfully) at the top.

Born in California in 1968, Molly got her start on the stage and doing a little singing with her jazz pianist father. Eventually she found her way to TV, scoring roles on Diff’rent Strokes and its spin-off,The Facts of Life. She had a few minor film roles until, in 1984, her career was launched into the stratosphere when she was cast as poor Samantha in Sixteen Candles.

Her next two movies did okay for themselves, too–– The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink.

Ringwald kept her career going with lesser-known 80s flicks like The Pick-Up Artist, For Keeps?, and Fresh Horses, and even though she’d never have another batch of success like she did with the ‘holy trinity’, heck–– when your name is attached to arguably the three most iconic teen movies EVER, who cares?

From the red hair to the pouty lips, from the incredible comic (and dramatic) timing to the ‘everygirl’ good looks, Molly was the perfect prescription for everything that ailed us in the 80s. And most importantly, she could act. When you think about it–– Samantha, Claire, and Andie are three COMPLETELY different people who, in the real world, would never have run in the same circles. But the fact that one person played each of them and played each of them SO convincingly is, in a nutshell, is why we–– well, we think Duckie said it best:

“Oh God… I love this woman. I love this woman, and I have to tell her. And if she laughs, she laughs…”